Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Mum convicted of neglecting her son

Mum convicted of neglecting her son

A MOTHER who repurposed her asthmatic son’s inhaler to feed her drugs habit and neglected his health has been found guilty of manslaughter.

Laura Heath, 40, of no fixed address, was found guilty of causing her son’s death through not keeping his asthma under control. The court heard how she “prioritised her addiction to heroin and crack cocaine” over her son’s care.


During the trial at Coventry crown court, the jury was shown an image of how Heath repurposed Hakeem’s asthma inhaler as a crack pipe.

Heath was convicted last Friday (22) of gross negligence and manslaughter, after admitting to four counts of child cruelty prior to the trial. Two counts included exposing Hakeem to class A drugs and failing to provide proper medical supervision.

Hakeem died in the Nechells area of Birmingham on the morning of November 26, 2017. He had gone outside in the night to get some air during an asthma attack and was found dead the following morning. There was no sign of any asthma medication on his body. The toxicology report later showed he had ingested heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis, likely through inhalation of second-hand smoke.

Laura Heath Laura Heath(Photo: West Midlands Police)


Heath told police she had smoked three bags of heroin around the time of Hakeem’s death. Two were prior to his bedtime at 10.30pm and one afterwards, which left her in a drug-induced sleep the night her son died.

Jurors heard how Heath and Hakeem shuffled between properties in Long Acre and Cook Street at the time of his death. One witness described the conditions in the first property as “disgusting”. The same witness said Hakeem had no bed and slept on the sofa instead.

Evidence was also found at the property that Heath used an upstairs bedroom for sex work to fund her drug habit; a basket of condoms was found there.

Speaking to the BBC, staff and pupils at Nechells E-Act Academy paid tribute to Hakeem. They described him as a “beautiful little boy, a great friend to many staff and children with a wicket sense of humour and an infectious giggle”.

It emerged during the trial that social services in Birmingham were aware of Hakeem. A nurse at a child protection conference held two days before his death said he “could die at the weekend”. Social workers at the conference voted to act to protect Hakeem and planned to speak to Heath the following Monday.  Unfortunately, by then he was already dead. This prompted a serious case review into the contact agencies had with Hakeem and Heath before his death; the results will be published within weeks.

Pharmacy records revealed that in the final two months of his life, Hakeem’s mother had only given him one-third of the prescribed quantity of asthma prevention medication.

Crown counsel Matthew Brook also said Hakeem had repeatedly been absent from school and had three emergency hospital admissions. On the third occasion, he had spent four days in Birmingham Children’s Hospital’s high dependency unit for four days in September 2017, receiving treatment for his “lifethreatening”, condition.

The head of Birmingham Children’s Trust, which took over child services in 2018 said there were “clear missed opportunities”, in social services’ handling of Hakeem’s case.

More For You

Brothers deny assaulting police during Manchester Airport brawl

Photo for representation. (iStock)

Brothers deny assaulting police during Manchester Airport brawl

TWO brothers accused of assaulting a man inside a Starbucks and later attacking police officers at Manchester Airport are standing trial, with the prosecution arguing they used "unlawful and extreme violence".

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and his older brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, both from Rochdale, are said to have acted aggressively on July 23 last year while at the airport to pick up their mother, who had arrived on a flight from Qatar.

Keep ReadingShow less
Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case
Bhim Kohli

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case

THE seven-year prison sentence handed to a 15-year-old boy convicted of the manslaughter of 80-year-old Bhim Sen Kohli is to be reviewed under the UK’s Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

The Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Friday (5) that the teenager’s sentence will now be considered by the Court of Appeal.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama attends a prayer meet held for his long life at the Dalai Lama temple in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, July 5, 2025. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

THE Dalai Lama said on Saturday (5) he hopes to live until he is more than 130 years old, two decades longer than his previous prediction, following his assurance to followers that he would reincarnate as the spiritual head of the faith upon his death.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner was speaking during a ceremony organised by his followers to offer prayers for his long life, ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday (6), and as China insists it will choose his successor. The Dalai Lama told Reuters in December he might live to 110.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK heatwave by mid-July

Daytime temperatures meeting or exceeding set thresholds of 25°C

iStock

Met Office warns of potential third UK heatwave by mid-July

Key points

  • Met Office forecasts rising temperatures by mid-July
  • Possible third heatwave after record-breaking June
  • High pressure system likely to bring hot air from the Atlantic
  • Yellow rain warning and flood alerts issued in parts of Scotland and Cumbria

Possible heatwave to return by mid-July

The UK could experience its third heatwave in a month by mid-July, the Met Office has said. Forecasters expect rising heat and humidity during the second weekend of July, following two weekends of unusually warm weather in late June.

June was officially the hottest on record in England, and the return of high temperatures could mean another heatwave for parts of the country. However, the Met Office cautioned that it is too early to confirm how hot conditions will get.

Keep ReadingShow less
crypto

Two men have been jailed for defrauding investors of £1.5 million through a fake crypto investment scheme. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Two jailed over £1.5m crypto investment scam

TWO people who duped investors of £1.5 million by selling fake investments in crypto have been jailed for 12 years, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.

Raymondip Bedi, of Bromley, and Patrick Mavanga, of Peckham, conned at least 65 people by cold-calling them between February 2017 and June 2019. They operated companies including CCX Capital and Astaria Group LLP.

Keep ReadingShow less